How is Match Percentage Calculated? Discover All Our Matching System Secrets – OkCupid

Table of Contents:

How does OkCupid matching work?
How does the OkCupid Matching Algorithm work?
How to get better matches on OkCupid?
OkCupid Matches Tab - How to see your Matches
OkCupid FAQs

OkCupid was founded by four math majors from Harvard who wanted to help people find the best dates possible -- and not surprisingly, they found that the best way to do that was through math. So they created a complex algorithm to determine how compatible you are with each of your potential matches so you can better decide who you want to match and chat with.

Now OkCupid is the only dating app that has a match percentage score for each of your matches so you can find people you’ll really click with.

How does OkCupid matching work?

On the surface, OkCupid matching works much like matching on other dating apps; as an OkCupid user you are shown lots of users in your area that you might want to meet. But what makes OkCupid special is that we’re not just showing you someone nearby that we think you’ll think is attractive.

Instead, we’re finding people that we think you are particularly compatible with based on numerous factors (listed below) — and when we share their profile with you, we’re also sharing the OkCupid match percentage we’ve calculated that indicates just how compatible you are.

You have the option to pass on or Like any of the people you see. When someone you Like has also Liked you, that makes a match and you can have a conversation! You can unmatch with someone at any time if you’ve changed your mind and you can report anyone who violates OkCupid’s terms & conditions.

How does the OkCupid Matching Algorithm work?

When you create your OkCupid profile, you can share details about yourself, such as your gender, orientation, the type of relationship you’re looking for (monogamous, non-monogamous, or open to either), your religion, the languages you speak and much more.

You also set the preferences for the people you’re looking for, which includes details such as the ones you listed about yourself. You can also set Preferences such as the age range you’re interested in, distance you’re open to, and attributes such as political affiliation, astrological sign, whether or not the person wants children, and more. In addition, you answer 15 questions.

The OkCupid matching algorithm takes all this information you’ve shared to calculate your Match % with someone. The matching algorithm is complex, but to say it simply: it looks at who you’re looking for, who they’re looking for, and how compatible you both are on the questions you’ve answered in order to calculate your Match %.

That’s why we encourage you to answer as many questions as possible; the more questions you answer, the more information the matching algorithm has to find you people you’re really compatible with. It’s also important that you rank how important each question you answer is to you because that factors into the Match % as well; you can choose to rank a question as:

a little important
somewhat important
very important.

Questions you rank as very important are weighted more heavily with determining your Match % with someone.

How to get better matches on OkCupid?

It’s the age-old story: you get back what you put in. The most successful people on OkCupid are the ones who put in the time to complete their profile, answer numerous questions, and check in on the app daily so they can engage with more people.

Here are some quick tips on how to get a match on OkCupid:

Answer more questions. The more questions you answer, the better we can find people you’re truly compatible with. Every question you answer factors into your Match % with someone.
Set the preferences you really care about. Often when people set up their profile, they keep tight restrictions on things such as distance and age. While we encourage users to be honest about the preferences they care about, it’s important to not be too stringent on things that aren’t actual dealbreakers for you. For example, if you set your distance preference to 20 miles, would you really want to miss the opportunity to match with someone who was 25 or 30 miles away?If you’re having trouble finding matches you really like, try loosening some of your preferences you have a little more wiggle room on.
Login between 7–10 pm local time. Most users are active during this time which means you’ll be more likely to get a great match!
Write a bio that lets your personality shine through. User profiles that contain the words “dog,” “travel,” music,” and “love” get the most matches and likes on OkCupid. So write about what you “love” and you’re sure to catch the eye of someone who loves the same things.
Looking for something long-term? Say so. Users who indicate they are looking for long-term relationships have the most success on OkCupid. So whether you’re looking exclusively for long-term, or are open to long-term as well as other types of relationships, update your profile to reflect that.
Don’t list out the reasons for people to pass on you - because they will. Profiles with terms like “pass on me if” and “don’t like me if” get fewer messages, conversations, and contact exchanges than those that don’t. It’s common sense; it’s much better to be positive in your profile, and list reasons why people should like you (ex/ if you love travel, hiking, etc).
Be open to falling in love, too! People who say they want love very much get more likes, matches, and conversations than those who say they’re not sure.

OkCupid Matches Tab: How to See Matches on OkCupid?

Here’s how to see your matches on OkCupid:

First, make sure you allow notifications from OkCupid on your phone; you will get alerts when you get a match so you never miss out on someone!
You can find all of your new matches in the New Matches tab in your Messages section.
All of your matches will also appear in the All tab in the Messages section as well.

OkCupid FAQs

Does OkCupid factor distance into Match Percentage?

Yes. Not only is the distance range you’re looking for factored into Match Percentage, but so is the distance range of the other person.

Does OkCupid factor question responses into Match Percentage?

Yes, all the questions you’ve both answered are factored into Match Percentage to determine your compatibility. Oftentimes, you’ve both answered the same 15 questions during sign-up, but all questions you’ve both answered are factored in. This is why it’s important to answer as many questions as possible so the matching algorithm has more information to determine your compatibility.

Aside from the 15 questions you answer when signing up, all other questions not only let you select your response, but also let you select the responses you’re open to from the other person—which therefore also factors into Match Percentage.

Are some questions weighted more heavily than others in Match Percentage?

Yes. When answering a question, you can select how important that question is to you: A Little, Somewhat, or Very. Questions you mark as Very important are weighted more heavily than those marked as Somewhat, and Somewhat are weighted more heavily than A Little.

Similarly, so are the other person’s—so for example, if you both answer a question the same way and have both marked it as Very important, it will drive your Match Percentage up higher than if you both answered the same way but you marked it as Very important and they marked it as somewhat.

What is the Match Percentage drilldown?

When you scroll down to the end of someone’s profile, a tray appears that shows your Match Percentage with that person, as well as all of the questions you’ve both answered. There’s an Agree column, a Disagree column, and a Find Out column; the latter is a list of the questions they have answered that you have not yet. To see their answers to those questions, you must answer those questions as well.

The Match Percentage drilldown is helpful because it not only shows you the questions you agree and disagree on, but which ones you’ve both marked as important. If you’ve both answered numerous questions in agreement it’s likely that you’ll have a high Match Percentage. But don’t be shocked if you see a high Match Percentage even if you’ve only answered a handful of questions similarly; this likely means that your preferences on what you’re looking for are very much aligned.

Are OkCupid Match Percentages mutual?

Yes. You and your potential match see the same Match Percentage when looking at each other’s profiles.

What is the OkCupid highest match possible?

The highest Match Percentage possible is 99%. We can get pretty close to knowing just how compatible you are, but there’s always at least that 1% of chemistry we can’t predict, and you won’t know until you actually meet on a date.

Want to find a 99% Match? Download the OkCupid app and answer our famous matching questions so our algorithm can find you people you’re most compatible with.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can we be a high match percentage if we disagree about something fundamentally important?

A large portion of your match percentage is based on basic mutual compatibility: age, location, gender, and orientation. We currently don’t have a way to set a certain question or detail as an absolute dealbreaker, however on the desktop/ computer version (for now) of OkCupid you can search by question in Discover.

If you still need help, you can email a friendly human.